1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to a tool useful in the Electrical Industry and in particular a tool used to restore a bent, kinked or curled fish tape to almost new condition.
2. Prior Art
I have been in the Electrical Industry over 20 years and used or worn out many tools. Among the tools used by an Electrician is a "Fish Tape". The fish tape is almost always purchased by the Employer and provided for the employee. The employer normally provides everything but the basic hand tools.
Employers expend lots of money for tools and the longer they last, the more life the employer gets out of his tools, the more profit he can make. Profit makes an employer happy, and its nice to work for happy employers.
The fish tape is used by the Electrician for pulling wire into a conduit system. The fish tape is pushed from one end of the conduit system to the other. The wire is then attached to the end of the fish tape. Then while one Electrician pulls on the fish tape another Electrician feeds the wire into the conduit system. Ideally everything goes smoothly. Occasionally, when the wire pull is anything but smooth, anything but the correct tool is used to grab the fish tape to help pull it and the wire through the conduit. This is when the kinks, bends or curls begin to show up in the fish tape. These blemishes cause the fish tape to drag the next time it is used, which cause even more disfigurements because the previous ones have not been repaired. These blemishes cause drag or resistance when trying to push or pull the fish tape through a conduit system. This wastes time and is very frustrating. Tools are designed to bring down labor costs. The fish tape is one tool that is very time saving to use and can be repaired.
There are a number of ways to straighten the fish tape. One way is to get a short piece of wood and drive a series of nails into it. Then weave the fish tape through the nails and begin pulling the length of the fish tape through the nails. This method works fine but it seems that every time a fish tape needs to be straightened, another "straightener" needs to be made, and this takes time. Another technique for straightening a fish tape is to weave it through the rungs of a ladder. This works fine but it takes two people for this method.
These are just two examples used by electricians to straighten the fish tape.
One person can straighten the fish tape with the use of this present invention and it is easily carried in a tool box. Another advantage of this present invention is to provide the right tool for the job. Its that simple. This hand held tool has a series of metal pins placed in line with each other and evenly spaced giving the fish tape something to be woven over. The metal pins are unitary with one side of this present invention. When both sides of the tool are properly assembled and secured together and the fish tape is enclosed within the tool, this present invention is pulled along the length of the fish tape until satisfactory restoration is complete. Its really that simple.
All of the examples of the prior art related to straightening devices are set forth in the patents below:
U.S. PATENTS
U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,905, Mattie. This machinery is used for controlling bow in Venetian blind slats. PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,548, Hashimoto et. al. This leveling mill and related machinery is used for correcting distortions in a rolled strip product, during manufacture. PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,212, Frey. This bending machinery is used for bending pieces of metal or other wire to a predetermined degree of curvature. PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,097, Del Fabro et. al. This machinery is for straightening-bending and shaping rods or metallic wire. PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,337, Del Fabro. This machinery is for the controlled and independent rocking of straightening and bending platforms. PA0 Japanese, 3-180209. This machinery is used for working "H" shaped steel. PA0 Japanese, 56-30027. This machinery is used for straightening deformations in "H" shaped steel. PA0 German, 4,024,794. This machinery is similar in design and application to U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,548 mentioned above.
FOREIGN PATENTS
Whatever the precise merits, features, and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves, or fulfills the purposes of the Fish Tape Restorer, this present invention. The principal effect and objective of this present invention is to furnish a quality hand held tool made to last. Another accomplishment of this present invention is to provide the correct tool for the job. Additionally this present invention is readily accessible and easily used for the straightening of a fish tape.